Apparatus for mixing liquids or the like



Dec... 20, 1949 B. GOLDMAN 2,491,555

APPARATUS FOR MIXING LIIQUIDS OR THE LIKE Filed Nov. 13, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 INVENTOR.

Dec. 20, 1949 'B. GOLDMAN APPARATUS FQR MIXING LIQUIDS OR THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 13, 1947 INVENTOR. WM

Patented Dec. 20, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR MIXING LIQUIDS OR THELIK-E Bronlslaw Goldman, Pittsburgh, Pa. ApplicationNovember 13, 1947, Serial No. 785,623

4 Claims. (or ass-um This invention relates to new and useful hill provements in mixing apparatus for mixing liquids with liquids, or liquids and gases, and it is among the obects thereof to provide apparatus which shall subject the liquids to a great degree of turbulence and effect circulation of the liquids in the container in which they are mixed at great velocity to effect maximum contact of the mixing liquids or of the liquids with gases to be absorbed.

It is a further object of this invention to provide mixing apparatus in which the liquids are circulated from the bottom of a container to the top thereof and subjected to a cascading action into a central well, the mechanism for accompli'shing the same being automatically adjustable to the height of the liquid level in a container.

The invention is adapted for mixing acid, usually sulphuric acid, with light oil, a liquid mixture containing principally benzol, toluol or xylol and a solvent such as naphtha, for the purpose of removing unstable hydrocarbons from the light oil and for subsequently mixing the treated light oil with an alkali such as a ten per cent solution of caustic soda for the purpose of removing the acid from the light oil. Such washing operations, by use of prior art equipment, usually extend over a period of from eight to ten hours, and by means of the present invention the washing time may be reduced to about five minutes, and light oils can be washed to a color of from 2 to 3 on Barrett colorimeter scales with 80% distillation conducted in a Barrett flask.

The invention will become more apparent from a considerationof the accompanying drawings, constituting a part hereof, in which like reference characters designate like parts, and in which Fig. 1 is a vertical cross sectional view of a tank for mixingliquids embodying the principles of this invention;

Fig. 2 a top plan view thereof, partially cut away;

Fig. 3 a horizontal cross sectional view taken along the line 3-3, Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 a cross sectional view taken along the line 4-4, Fig 1.

With reference to the several figures of the drawings, the numeral l designates atank of sheet metal, lined or unlined, capable 62 holding a liquid which is supplied by anvinlet [in the funnel-shaped base 3 of the tank andwhich may like bottom wall 3.

periodically or between successive mixing opera tions. A cover it is provided for the tank on which is mounted a transmission l and a drive comprising a motor 8, belt 9 and pulley iii. The transmission actuates a propeller shaft ll connected by a coupling I2 to a mixing shaft it, the latter being journaled in antifriction bearings M in an extension I5 of the cover member 5. As shown in Fig. 2, the cover is provided with sealed openings l6 and I! for adding acids or liquids, and which might also be employed for suitable connections with sources of gas supply. Also, the openings i6 and Il may be employed for mounting of various instruments in common usage with liquid mixing and washing operations, which form no part of the present invention.

The container I may be provided with lugs lid on which it is suitably supported.-

With reference to Fig. 1, the mixing shaft It is provided with an impeller [9 at the extreme bottom thereof with the blades cut away angularly to conform to the inclination of the funnel- This provides for the circulation of the liquid at the extreme bottom of the container. Spaced from the impeller i9 is another impeller 20 connected to rotate with the mixing shaft Iii. The impeller 20 comprises radial vanes that are secured by strips 2| on which is mounted a conical member 22 which may be cylindrical constituting a portion of a well. The bottom of the conical portion of the impeller is open for the passage of fluid therethrough past the propeller 20. Breaker baflles 23 may be provided on the wall of the container in alignment with the impeller 20 to partially break up the circulating motion of the fluid and subject it to greater turbulence, although the general scheme of the mixing and circulating function of the device is to cause the liquid to rise from the bottom of the tank upward along the side to the top of the liquid level.

A second conically shaped hollow member 24 is connected to a plurality of baffles 25 that are suspended by chains 26 or in other suitable manner from the top of the tank, as shown at 21. The member 24 is provided with a flange 28 that is secured by welding" or otherwise fastened to a cylindrical member 29 to which the baffles 25 are attached. A ballle 30 extends inward from the wall of the cylinder 29 to function in a manner as hereinafter explained. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the baflles 25 are offset or flared.

The Operation of the above described washing and mixing apparatus is briefly as follows. With 3 the tank filled with a liquid to a desired level, which may be just below the bearing ll of extension I5, or above, as the case may be, the motor 8 is energized and the liquid is subjected to a circulating motion by impellers l9 and 20. As it rises to form a vortex resulting from such circulatory motion, it engages the baffles which move upwardly with the circulating liquid, partially by virtue of the shape of the battles, as shown in Fig. 4, and when they have reached the uppermost limit of their travel in response to the force of the circulating liquid, the surface liquid will break over the baflles and cascade inwardly into the well constituted by the conical members 22 and 24, the latter being raised in telescopic relation to the member 22 as shown by the dash and dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings. In the raised position of the member 24, the members 22 and 24 form a well through which the liquid cascades and passes out at the bsttom into the rotating propellers 20 to recirculate and again rise along the wall of the tank outside of the well formed by the members 22 and 24. The small inside baffles tend to further break up the liquid cascading into the well, and the combined circulation and cascading of the liquid provides intimate contact of the mixture over a maximum area during a minimum period of the mixing action. By means of the self-levelling baille members 25, no adjustments are required for different liquid levels and a a continuous well is provided within the limits of the lengths of the members 22 and 24.

By means of the above described apparatus, liquid, such as benzol or other light oils, may be washed within a fraction of the time consumed by apparatus in conventional use, and while the invention has been demonstrated as applicable for use in washing light oils, it is obviously useful in mixing or washing other liquids, and for the absorption of gases by liquids through contact by mixing action.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the details of construction without departing from the principles herein set forth.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for mixing liquids or the like comprising a tank for the liquid to be mixed, a well mounted centrally of the tank comprising telescopic sections, means extending through said well for subjecting the liquid to a circulating motion, and bailles for intercepting the circular motion of the liquid at substantially the surface thereof for cascading the same into said well, said bafiles being mounted to be self-adjusting to the surface of the liquid in response to the raising or lowering of the liquid in the tank and having one of said telescopic well sections movable therewith to extend and contract the well in response to the vertical movements of said bafiles.

2. Apparatus for mixing liquids or the like comprising a mixing tank, an impeller extending through the top to adjacent the bottom of the tank, said impeller carrying a hollow wall rotat able with said impeller open at both ends, baiiles mounted in said tank having a depending wall complementary in shape to the wall of the impeller being disposed therein, said baflles being suspended from the topof the tank to be movable vertically with the raising or lowering of the liquid in the tank, whereby the complementary shaped walls of the impeller and baffles are telescopically movable to form a hollow well for the passage of the liquid from the top to the bottom of the tank, said baffles being operative to intercept the circulating liquid at the upper level thereof to ,cascade the same to the inside of the well.

3. Apparatus for mixing liquids or the like comprising a mixing tank, an impeller shaft extending through the top to adjacent the bottom of the tank, a plurality of vertically spaced impellers on said shaft, said bottom impeller carrying a hollow wall rotatable with said impeller open at both ends. constituting a well, baflles mounted in said tank having a depending wall complementary in shape to the wall of the impeller being disposed therein, said battles being further provided with a cylindrical wall extending a portion of the height of the baffles, said cylindrical wall having baffles extending inwardly of the well, said bafiles being suspended from the top of the tank to be movable vertically with the raising or lowering of the liquid in the tank, whereby the complementary shaped walls of the impeller and bailles are telescopically movable to form a hollow well for the passage of the liquid from the top to the bottom of the tank, said baiiles being operative to intercept the circulating liquid at the upper level thereof to cascade the same to the inside of the well.

4. Apparatus for mixing liquids or the like comprising a mixing tank having a funnel-shaped bottom with inlet and outlet connections, a cover thereon, a mixing shaft extending from the cover to substantially the bottom of the tank, drive mechanism for said shaft, said shaft having an impeller at the end 'thereof spaced for clearance from the bottom of the tank and having a second impeller spaced vertically to substantially the top of the funnel-shaped portion of the tank, breaker baflies on the wall of the tank in alignment with said second named impeller, said second impeller having a wall of substantially cylindrical shape connected to the impellers to be rotatable therewith forming a hollow well through which the liquid flows from the top to the bottom into said impeller, a plurality of baflles angularly spaced in said tank extending to substantially the wall of the tank having a well of substantially cylindrical shape mounted at the bottom thereof and extending in telescopic relation with the substantially cylindrical portion of the impeller, said baflles being suspended from the top of the tank to be freely movable vertically with the rising or falling of the liquid in the tank, whereby the telescopic members of the impeller and baffles are correspondingly extended or contracted to form a continuous central well into which the rising liquid in the tank is cascaded by the baflies.

BRONISLAW GOLDMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Goldman Dec. 6, 1927 Kepper June 26, 1939 Hufl Apr. 25, 1944 Number 

